This Grilled Lobster Tail recipe offers tender, juicy lobster meat generously brushed with garlic butter. Elegant yet easy, this recipe is perfect for date nights, birthdays, and other special occasions.
One of my favorite things about seafood, whether it’s scallops, shrimp, or lobster, is that it tends to cook quickly and be easy to prepare – yet it feels super fancy. That’s definitely the case with these grilled lobster tails with garlic butter! Simple, elegant, and easy.
Why You’ll Love This Grilled Lobster Tail Recipe
This lobster recipe has become one of my go-to’s for a special occasion dinner. Here’s why.
- Restaurant worthy. These grilled lobster tails definitely feel like something you’d enjoy when dining at a nice seafood restaurant.
- Perfect for special occasions. I love to make these for Valentine’s Day, date night, anniversaries, birthdays, or any other special occasion meal.
- Easier than you think. I promise you, this recipe is not nearly as intimidating as you might think! You can easily have dinner on the table in 30 minutes.
What You’ll Need
Besides lobster, you’ll need just a few ingredients for this recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card below for measurements.
- Butter – I recommend unsalted butter as we’re using sea salt in the recipe.
- Lemon – You’ll need the zest & juice from one lemon as well as lemon wedges for serving.
- Herbs – Green onion and parsley add flavor to the butter and are used as a garnish as well.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic for the garlic butter.
- Sea salt & black pepper
- Lobster tails – Each one should be about 4 ounces. See below for tips on buying them.
- Olive oil – For brushing the lobster before grilling.
- Wooden skewers – Soaked in water before using.
Fresh vs Frozen Lobster
You can make this grilled lobster tail recipe with fresh or frozen lobster, which is handy since most of us don’t have access to fresh lobster year-round.
If using frozen lobster, make sure to thaw it completely before beginning this recipe. You can let it thaw in the fridge for several hours or place them in cold water for 30-60 minutes.
How To Grill Lobster Tails
This grilled lobster tail recipe is elegant yet simple to prepare. Scroll down to the recipe card for the printable instructions.
- Make the garlic butter. Whisk together the melted butter, lemon juice and zest, green onion, parsley, garlic, and sea salt.
- Prep the lobster. Cut each lobster from the top of the shell to the tail, making a swallowing cut halfway through the lobster meat lengthwise.
- Insert the skewer. Run the soaked skewer lengthwise through each lobster tail to prevent it from curling.
- Grill. Brush the lobster meat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place meat side down on the grill and cook for 3-4 minutes, until lightly charred. Flip and generously brush with the lemon herb butter. Continue grilling for another 3-4 minutes, until the lobster is opaque.
- Enjoy. Remove the lobster tails from the grill. Top with green onion and parsley. Serve with the lemon wedges and remaining lemon butter.
How Long To Grill Lobster Tails?
The exact amount to grill a lobster tail depends on the size of the lobster. The general rule of thumb is about 60-75 seconds per ounce of flesh. For 4-ounce lobster tails, I start with 4 minutes on the flesh side and 4 minutes once I flip them.
Lobster does cook quickly, so be sure to keep a close eye on it.
Tips for Success
Here are a few things to keep in mind as you grill your lobster tails.
- Skewer options. If you don’t have wooden skewers, you can also use metal skewers or simply grill the lobster tails without skewers, though they may curl slightly.
- Preheat the grill. Make sure your grill is properly preheated to avoid sticking and ensure even cooking.
- Don’t cut through the lobster. I find it easiest to cut the lobster with sharp kitchen shears. However, you want to make a shallow cut that goes about halfway through the meat and avoid cutting all the way through.
- No butter before grilling. Wait to butter the lobster until you flip it over. If you add the butter before you grill the meat, it can catch fire and char the lobster.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many ways to serve grilled lobster tails! I love to dip it in the extra garlic butter with a fresh squeeze of lemon on top.
For side dishes, my go-to is grilled or roasted vegetables, such as oven roasted asparagus or air fryer brussels sprouts, and some garlic butter pasta or rice. A fresh garden salad would also be a great idea.
Proper Storage
- Fridge. Store any leftover lobster tails in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Reheat. Reheat gently in a skillet with a bit of butter for best results.
More Seafood Recipes To Try
Grilled Lobster Tails
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- Juice from 1 lemon
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh green onion plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley plus more for garnish
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 1/4 teaspoon sea salt ¼ teaspoon divided
- 4 lobster tails 4-ounce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for brushing
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Lemon wedges for serving
- 4 wooden skewer soaked in water
Instructions
- Preheat your grill or an indoor grill pan over medium heat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, chopped green onion, chopped parsley, minced garlic, and ¼ teaspoon sea salt.
- Using sharp kitchen shears, cut down from the top of each lobster shell to the tail, make a shallow cut halfway through the lobster meat lengthwise using a sharp knife, without cutting all the way through.
- Insert a soaked wooden skewer lengthwise through each of the lobster tails, this will prevent the tails from curling while they cook.
- Brush the lobster meat with the olive oil and season them with the remaining salt and black pepper.
- Place the lobster tails meat side down on the preheated grill and cook until lightly charred, about 3-4 minutes. Flip the lobster tails over and generously brush on the lemon herb butter onto the meat of the lobster.
- Continue grilling until the lobster is just cooked through and opaque, about another 3-4 minutes. Continue basting the lobster as it cooks for added flavor.
- Remove the lobster tails from the grill and garnish with additional green onion and parsley if desired. Serve with lemon wedges and the remaining lemon herb butter. Enjoy!
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